The Sixers and Nets met on Wednesday night as part of the NBA’s Rivalry Week, and while some of the choices on the league’s schedule felt a bit forced, this has no doubt become a tense affair.
There are many layers to it, led by Ben Simmons’ departure from Philadelphia and his rift with Joel Embiid and the team’s fan base, and James Harden forcing his way out of Brooklyn after just over a year (ultimately in a trade for Simmons), the bad blood runs deep between the two sides. Wednesday’s meeting was particularly notable as it was Simmons’ first time playing against Embiid back in Philadelphia, and the Sixers fans gave him the expected reception of showering him with boos every time he touched the ball.
Embiid also seemed to relish the matchup, breaking out his beloved crotch chop celebration (inspired by Triple H) after a third quarter and-1 bucket.
Joel Embiid gesture pic.twitter.com/lPb6BQvqTv
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) January 26, 2023
Kevin Durant, who was watching at home as he keeps rehabbing his knee, was not impressed with the antics and made sure to tag the big fella on Twitter to let him know.
Trash celebration @JoelEmbiid
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) January 26, 2023
Naturally, Embiid had a response after the Sixers held on for a 137-133 win over the Nets, firing off a video edit of him doing crotch chops over the D-Generation X theme.
#SuckIt https://t.co/rVpradzgkW pic.twitter.com/xP8uJ3T6IA
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) January 26, 2023
The best part is Embiid did this as he walked into the press conference room, cackling to himself as he pressed send and looking unbelievably proud of himself.
Before he got to the 76ers’ postgame press conference, Joel Embiid sent a troll reply to Kevin Durant on Twitter.
He couldn’t stop laughing. https://t.co/aXxcKXU7Ig pic.twitter.com/kUmvtyR4G9
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) January 26, 2023
Stars, they’re just like us! There are few things more satisfying than hitting send on a tweet you know is gonna do numbers, and apparently that joy even extends to NBA All-Stars. It’s also incredible that Joel just has that video saved on his phone for just such occasions. Embiid and Durant are two of the most prominent NBA tweeters, so it comes as little surprise they’d extend their rivalry from the hardwood to the Twitter streets, with Joel getting the last laugh (quite literally) on Wednesday night.